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A bill introduced in the Legislature would help create affordable rents for new teachers near Hawaii. The bill would allow the state to buy land to build 200 to 300 apartments that would be rented to aspiring teachers at below-market rates.

Specifically, the bill authorizes the State of Hawaii to purchase a 12-acre site near Holomua Elementary School “for the development of affordable housing with priority for Department of Education teachers early in their careers.”

The bill does not specify the amount to be paid for the property, which is now open space owned by developer Gentry Homes Ltd., the developer of the nearby Ewa Gentry subdivision, suggesting the government could purchase the land at a nominal price.

Hawaii is hardly the first region to look at affordable housing for teachers. In California , the Santa Clara School District’s Casa Del Maestro teacher suite has become a pioneer model that is gaining momentum in other school districts in the Golden State. The 70-unit site is owned by the school district and is located next to an elementary school.

The idea is gaining traction in pricey Northern California. According to a recent article in the education publication EdSource , the area is experiencing a teacher housing boom, with projects underway in Mountain View and Daly City.

Meanwhile, Santa Clara County supervisors have approved several projects in the county’s Palo Alto area, the newspaper reported. Facebook is covering a quarter of the $103 million cost, EdSource reported.

A study by researchers from UCLA and UC Berkeley recently identified opportunities across the state to build teacher housing on school-owned property. The idea was championed in Hawaii by state senator Stanley Chang in a bill that went nowhere this session.

California appears to be one step ahead of Hawaii in addressing the two states’ common problems.

“Many of the 300,000 public school teachers cannot afford to live in the communities where they work, forcing them to commute long distances or pushing them out of the education system altogether,” the California study found. “Recruiting new teachers has also become more challenging.”

The researchers pointed to the Santa Clara project as an exemplary solution.

“Casa del Maestro of the Santa Clara Unified School District has reduced the attrition rate of housing-supported teachers by two-thirds compared to others in the same cohort, and waitlists show consistently high demand—80% of its tenants remain with full allowable rent. deadline,” the message says.

However, this proposal has its critics. In testimony, the Hawaii State Employees Association said the project should be open to all government employees, not just teachers. 

Additionally, the teachers union said housing should be open to all teachers, not just entry-level ones. Rents are expected to be approximately $1,000 per month below market rates.